Commissioners race highlights Greene elections
The Greene County commissioners race highlights the countywide contests in Tuesday’s election.
Incumbent Democratic commissioners Pam Snyder and Charles Morris, Republican incumbent Archie Trader and Republican challenger Richard Yeager are running for four-year terms in the three commissioner offices.
Snyder, of Dry Tavern, is running for her third consecutive term. She was elected chairwoman of the commissioners in both terms she has served.
“I believe I have worked diligently for Greene County for the last eight years to make positive changes and I want to do that for four more years,” Snyder said.
To improve housing opportunities, the commissioners established a task force to identify the areas where municipalities want development to take place, Snyder said.
The commissioners also reactivated the county redevelopment authority to address housing issues, she said.
If re-elected, Snyder said she would become a leader in the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, which lobbies for or against regulations and legislation that effect counties.
She would become second vice president in 2012, first vice president in 2013, president in 2014 and board of directors chairwoman in 2015, she said.
The proposed Marcellus shale impact fee is among the state measures the county has to be prepared for, Snyder said.
Financially, the commissioners spend local tax dollars wisely, adopted balanced budgets and keep employee pension plans funded despite cuts in state funding, she said.
“We’ve had tough budgets from state. We’ve weathered well. We’ve kept our fiscal house in order,” Snyder said.
Yeager, of Jefferson, has worked in the transportation business for 40 years and headed the county Republican Committee for 10 years. He is running for his first term as a commissioner. He previously ran for state representative.
He said he has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from West Virginia University and a master’s degree from Waynesburg University.
“I think I’m the most qualified and most credentialed,” Yeager said. “I decided to run because I think our county needs to be run more like a business.”
The current commissioners have accomplishments, but they lack strategic planning for the future, he said.
“We’re losing population despite the gas boom. We have land and wholesome values to raise kids. I think they (the commissioners) missed the mark. They haven’t focused on development — building so families can move into our county. As a result, we have higher taxes. They can’t spread out the cost of government. I don’t see housing for families or for senior citizens,” Yeager said.
Water quality has been a problem in Carmichaels and other parts of the county, he said. Water plants that can properly treat water are needed, he said.
“We need to run the place more like a business. It’s simple the way I see it. We have a habit of doing things politically and not prioritizing or planning for the future. It hasn’t worked. The same people are in there proposing the same things,” Yeager said.
Morris, of Waynesburg, is an attorney and former county district attorney. He is running for his first full term after being appointed to serve an unexpired term in August 2010.
“I’m running because I honestly think I can do a fine job for the county. I think I have a pretty good grip on the issues we’re facing,” Morris said. “I bring another perspective.”
He said county commissioners might be placed in charge of distributing the proposed Marcellus shale impact fees to municipalities. Morris said he supports gas well development, but the industry trucks have damaged roads.
Families are finding it difficult to find homes to rent because gas industry workers rent most available properties, he said. A friend of his told him that he received 100 calls in response to an advertisement for an apartment he rents, Morris said.
The committee the commissioners created to identify areas in that have infrastructure for possible housing development has worked fast, Morris said.
“If a developer comes, we can tell them where the infrastructure is,” Morris said.
Morris said water quality has become an issue and he hopes the gas industry is not the cause of the problems, but the commissioners are trying to monitor the situation.
Trader, a farmer and former plumbing and heating business owner from Prosperity, is running for his second consecutive term.
“I get enjoyment and satisfaction when I help people,” Trader said.
He said he was in business for more than 30 years and that experience helps him with management and budget decisions.
Business development at the Greene County Airport and housing development across the county are among his priorities.
Currently the airport is a “drain on the general fund,” Trader said. Hangars are being moved to the east end of the property to make the west end available for restaurant development, he said.
“We want to at least break even or make money,” said Trader.
The county needs housing for senior citizens and all other segments of society, he said.
“Senior housing is needed. Housing as whole is needed. We need to get a developer to do it,” Trader said.